The pilot of a single-person airtanker was killed Tuesday afternoon when his plane crashed while fighting a rapidly spreading northern California wildfire, state fire officials said. Crews found the plane after it disappeared while flying over the Dog Rock Fire near the Arch Rock in Yosemite National Park. Fire officials were not releasing the pilot's name until all immediate family members could be notified.
"This crash underscores just how inherently dangerous wildland firefighting is, and the job is further compounded this year by extreme fire conditions," said CalFire Director Ken Pimlott. "We have secured the crash site and will be cooperating with the NTSB on their investigation."
The S-2T tanker went down about 4:26 p.m. (7:26 p.m. ET), less than two hours after the fire started. It rapidly grew to 130 acres in just a couple of hours, forcing the evacuation of about 60 homes in the nearby community of Foresta, CalFire said. El Portal Road, also known as State Highway 140, was closed and wasn't expected to reopen any time soon, CalFire said.
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— M. Alex Johnson
First published October 7 2014, 5:46 PM
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1vSg0lN
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